Auxiliary back-rest for chairs.



T. N. BEARFIELD.

AUXILIARY BACK BEST FOR CHAIRS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 7' I914.

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THOMAS 1v. BEARFIELD, or CHICAGO, ILLInoIs, ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF T0 JAi/IEs w. 1

ELIKER, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. I

AUXILIARY BACK-nns'r r'ort CHAIRS.

l Specification ofLetters Patent. 7

Application filed December '7, 1914. Serial No. 875,782.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS N. BEARFIELD, a citizen of the United States, residing at cation, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The purpose of this invention is to provide an auxiliary yielding back rest adapted to be applied to any ordinary straightbaoked chair to increase the comfort aflorded thereby. It consists of the features and elements described and shown in the drawings as indicated by the claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a rear perspective view of a chair showing the device embodying this invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the device removed from the chair.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken as indicated at line, 33, on Fig. 2, indicating in dotted lines the relation of the device to the chair-back and to the back of the oc of attachment thereto, so as to diverge upwardly from the back panel, A.

(See Fig. 3).

The upper ends of the springs, C, C,

' are connected by cross ties, D and E, and

these joints are preferably covered with felt or leather pads, F to prevent m'arring the spindles, X, X, of the chair back. The cross tie, E, carries a pair of loops, G, through which the attaching strap, H, passes. The

loops, Gr, may be spaced as desired to fit the openingsformed in the chair back by the spindles, X, X, or by such panel arrangement as may be present, and with the strap, H, passed through the loops, G, at the opposite side of the chair back from the cross tie, E, the whole device may be firmly secured by tightening the strap, H. With the strap, H, thus secured to the chain-back,

the lower. edge,-A of theback panel, A, will be in contact with the back of the chair,

as indicated in Fig. 3, while the p'anel,'.A, will extend obliquely upward for yielding contact with the back of the. occupant, indicat'ed'b'y the dotted outline, Y. The angle of divergence between the'springs, C, C, and

the members, B, B, will be-initially made to give the desirable maximum amount of forward extension of the back-rest from theconverting any ordinary chair into a cornfortable working seat for persons engaged in sedentary occupations, as for example, stenographers and bookkeepers. Preferably the frame members, B, B, and the cross member, K, are made of the same springmaterialas the arms, C, C, so that when the back panel, A, is formed of somewhat flexible sheet material, the device need not be upholstered in any way, but will yield Patented Feb. 13, 19:17.

and conform to the user to afford the desired the back panel, A, somewhat concave at its,

front surface, while the upper portions of the members, B, B, are also bent to give the back panel a more form-fitting contour at the small of the back (see Fig. 3).

This

construction permits the device to be made of minimum thickness, so that when the user desires to throw it practically out of service and lean against the chair back, X, the

auxiliary back rest will" collapse into so small a space as to be hardly notlceable.

I claim:

1, A back rest device comprising upright ins spring arms, a back panel to thelower portion of which the lower ends of said spring arms are secured with their free upper ends diverging from the panel but adapted to yield toward it, and means for fastening said upper ends of said arms to a chair back.

.2. A back rest device comprising upright spring arms, a back panel to the lower portion of which the lower ends of said spring arms are secured with their free upper ends diverging from the panelrbutradapted to yield toward it, a cross tie' connecting said upper ends of said arms, and means on the cross tie for fastenlng the device to a chair back. 7

3. VA back rest device comprising upright.

spring arms, a backpanel to the lower portion of which the lowerends of said spring "arms are secured with their freeupper ends 7 diverging from the panel but adapted to yield toward it, a cross tie connecting said I upper ends of said arms, a pair of loops loosely carried on said cross tie, and a securing strap adapted to be passed through said.

loops. l. A back-rest device comprising an attaching element composed of two upright spring arms and a cross-tie connecting their upper ends; a back panel composed of flexible sheet material and a frame work of fiatspring members towhich saidmaterial is secured, the spring arms of the attaching element being secured to the frame members of the back panel near the lower edgethereof, said spring arms diverging upwardly from the panel above their points of attachment thereto, and being adapted to yield for rendering the device resilient, togetherwith means for securing the cross-tie of said at-' taching element to a chair back.

5. A back rest device comprising two up-,

right spring arms, a backpanel composed of Copies of this pate nt 'may be obtained for 'Washington, D. G."

flexible sheet material and a framework of fiat spring members to which said material is secured, the spring arms being attached to the frame members of the back panel near the lower edge thereof with their free ends diverging from the panel'but adapted to yield toward it, a cross tie connecting said free" upper ends of the spring arms, and means on said cross ties for fastening the device to a chair back. 7 V

6. A back-rest device comprising an attaching element composed of two upright spring'members and a cross-tie connecting their upper ends; a back panellcomposed of flexible sheet material and reinforcing means therefor, including twoupright spring members and a cross tie connecting their upper portions, saidupright members of the attaching element being secured at their lower ends to the lower portions of the upright reinforcing members of the back panel and diverging upwardly from the THoMAs N; BEARFIELD.

' Witnesses: v

RoB'r. N.BURTON, EDNA M. VMAOINTOSH.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, 

